[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 38 (Monday, September 24, 2001)]
[Pages 1329-1330]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7466--Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2001

September 17, 2001

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    As the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in 
Philadelphia began working on what would become the United States 
Constitution, they grasped that a great democracy must be built on the 
twin foundations of national consent to a Federal Government and respect 
for individual rights. After more than two centuries of continual 
cultural, legal, and economic change, our unique experiment in self-
government has borne successful witness to the prescient genius and 
timeless wisdom of our Founding Fathers. Throughout America's history, 
in times of turmoil and peace, liberty and oppression, our faith in the 
Constitution's promise of freedom and democracy has been a steadfast 
rock of national stability against the raging seas of political change. 
Today, in the face of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we 
must call upon, more than ever, the Constitutional principles that make 
our country great.
    In creating our Nation's Constitutional framework, the Convention's 
delegates recognized the dangers inherent in concentrating too much 
power in one person, branch, or institution. They wisely crafted a 
Government that balanced the functions and authority of a Federal system 
among three separate but equal branches: the Executive, the Legislative, 
and the Judicial. As a further check on central power, the Framers 
granted citizens the right to vote, giving them the power to express 
their political preferences peacefully and thereby to effect change in 
the Government.
    The Convention delegates ratified the Constitution on September 17, 
1787, and submitted it to the States for approval. After much 
deliberation and discussion at the State level, the following two 
concerns emerged from among those who feared the Constitution's proposed 
centralization of Federal power: (1) the threat of tyranny; and (2) the 
loss of local control. To address these fears, our Founders amended the 
Constitution by adding a Bill of Rights. These ten amendments provided a 
series of clear limits on Federal power and a litany of protective 
rights to citizens. This development underscored the important and 
enduring Constitutional principle of enumerated powers, and it set our 
national course on a route that would eventually enhance and expand 
individual rights and liberties.
    Today, our Nation celebrates not only the longest-lived written 
Constitution in world history, but also the enduring commitment

[[Page 1330]]

of our forebears who upheld the Constitution's core principles through 
the travails of American history. They pursued a more perfect Union as 
abolitionists, as suffragists, or as civil rights activists, 
successfully seeking Constitutional amendments that have strengthened 
the protections provided to all Americans under law. In so doing, they 
rendered the moral resolve of our Nation stronger and clearer.
    Our Republic would surely founder but for the faith and confidence 
that we collectively place in our Constitution. And it could not prosper 
without our diligent commitment to upholding the Constitution's original 
words and implementing its founding principles. From the noble efforts 
of public servants to the civic acts of local people, our continuous 
Constitutional engagement has proved to be an exceptional feature of our 
Nation's prosperous development.
    To continue this legacy, each of us must recognize that we bear a 
solemn responsibility to promote the ideals of freedom and opportunity 
throughout our land. We each should serve our Nation by actively 
supporting and shaping our Government's institutions, by working 
together to build strong communities, and by loving our neighbors. Doing 
this will ensure that the American dream will become real for every 
willing citizen; and, in fulfilling this call together, we will honor 
the spirit of our powerful and enduring Constitution.
    The Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 
106), designated September 17 as ``Citizenship Day,'' and by joint 
resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108), requested that the 
President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 
23 of each year as ``Constitution Week.''
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2001, as 
Citizenship Day and September 17 through September 23, 2001, as 
Constitution Week. I encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as 
well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to 
conduct ceremonies and programs that celebrate our Constitution and 
reaffirm our commitment as citizens of our great Nation.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
sixth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 12:17 p.m., September 
18, 2001]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 19.